Hot-air furnace.



D. P. KURTZ.

HOT AIR FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.22. I9I3.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.`

m m n W 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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HOT AIR FURNCE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 22. 1913.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS/:"8

ATTORNEYS coLuMaxA PLANOGRAFH ca ,wAsmNcl-AON. D. c.

DANIEL P. KURTZ, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

HDTV-.AIR FURNACE.

To all idiom t may concern.'

kBe it lmown that I, DANIEL P. KURTZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and` State of Indiana, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Hot-Air Furnaces, of which the followingis aj specification.

My invention is an improvement in hot air furnaces, and has for its object to provide a furnace of the character specified, wherein an outer casing is Provided and-a fire box4 arranged within theiouter casingy in spaced relation, the fire box having aspiral pipe arranged within the outer casing above the fire box and leading from the outer, casing near the top and rear thereof, said fire box having also ay direct outlet pipe openingv through the outer casing at the rear thereof and below the outlet of the spiral pipe, said.

cess to the coils of the spiral pipe and to the 1 fire box above and below the grate.

A further object is to provide a new and improved form of grate, wherein mechanism is provided for movement between the fuel on the grate and the grate, and operated from outside the furnace.

.A further object is to provide a feedingv mechanism extending from the top of the outer casing into the re box at the center of the grate, and mechanism for lifting coal from the bottom of the outer casing to the top of the feed chute, and to provide mechanism in connection with the grate for deflecting the fuel to all parts of the grate.

In the drawings :-Figurel is a vertical section of the improved furnace, Fig. 2 is a partial bottom plan view of the grate, Fig. 3 is a front view of the improved furnace, Fig. 4 is a partial top plan view of the supporting mechanism for the deflector, Fig. 5

is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1look- Specification of Letters Patent.

said casing or fire box vis openat one side as shown at 2, to permit the removal ofashes from the same. Y The wall ofthe lire box gradually in-y creases in thickness from its bottom toward its top, and the said box is of slightly less` diameter at its top than at its bottom. The upper edge of the said'box is providedl with an annular groove or recess 3, and a cap 4 Patented Got. 5, 191115'. Application medootobei l22, 191s'. serial No. 796,641. y A

is arranged above the fire box, the Vlower edge of the cap being seated inthe groovey or recess 3. p

The cap is provided with a smoke outlet 5, the said outlet extending from the top thereof and at one side asshown. At the other side ofthe cap, a fuel opening 6 is provided, and an outlet pipe 7 leadsfrom the cap above the opening 6.

An outer casing 8 is providedfor inclosv later described, the said casing being in the present instance of cylindrical form, and bein arranged ysubstantially coaxial with4 the re box. An annular chamber 9` is thus formedV encircling the 'fire box between the same andthe inclosing casing 8. Y f

A feed chute 10 extends through the top 11 of the inclosing casing, and through the cap 4,the said chute lbeing of frust-conical form, and arranged with its large end downt ward. The chute is coaxial with the in-A closing casing and the fire box and a door 12 is provided for. closing the top of the chute, the door being hinged to the chute as indicated at 13. v

A conical deflector 14'is1arranged in the fire box directly below the outlet of the chute, and the said outlet or lower end of the chute is at approximately the level of the upper end of the fire box. Theconical deector 14 is coaxial with the feed chute and the apex thereof extends into the lower end ing the fire box and other mechanism to be of the chute. The defiector is provided with a cylindrical base 15, and is supported by outwardly extending arms 16, the said arms being in the present instance four in number, and each arm is supported at its outer end in a manner to be presently described.

The inner ends of the arms are connected with the deflector at the junction of the base therewith, and a grate to be described, is arranged below the arms 16, between the cylindrical base of the deflector and the inner surface of the fire box. The inclosing casing 8 is provided with a feed opening 18 in radial alinement with the feed opening 6, and a door 19 is'provided for normally closing the said opening.

rPhe pipe 7 communicates with a spirally arranged pipe 20, the said pipe being arranged between the feed chute and the inclosing casing 8. The spiral pipe, in the present instance, consists of four coils, the coils being arranged in superposed relation, and the uppermost coil has an outlet 21, eX- tending through the wall of the inclosing casing.

The outlet 5 communicates with the outlet 21, outside of the inclosing casing, by means of a vertical pipe 22, the said pipe opening into the outlet 5 at its lower end and into the outlet 21 at its upper end.

The pipe 7 communicates with the lowermost coil and each of the four coils is provided with a cleaning opening at that side of the furnace remote from the pipe 22. Short sections 23 of pipe lead from the cleaning openings of the coils, each of the said pipes 23 communicating at one end with the adjacent coil and extending at the other through an opening in the inclosing casing to the outer surface thereof, and each pipe is normally closed by means of a door 24.

The outlet 5 before mentioned, is provided with a lateral opening 25 within the chamber 9, the said opening placing the said outlet 5 in communication with the spiral pipe 20. A damper 26 is arranged within the outlet 5, between the opening 25 and the point where the pipe 22 opens into the said outlet 5.

A door 27 is provided for closing the outer end of the outlet 5, the door being hinged to the said outlet at the upper side thereof as indicated at 23, and a link 29 connects the inner surface of the door or check lid 27 with the damper, in such manner that when the check lid or door is closed, the damper is moved into open position. rfhe arrangement is such that when the door 27 is opened or partially opened, the damper 26 will be closed or partially closed, the extent of closing depending upon the extent to which the door 27 is opened.

The dampei1 26 is connected with a stem 30, by means of which it may be operated from the outside, and a chain 31 is connected with the outer surface of the door 27 for opening and closing the said door. The outer end of the outlet 5 is beveled in order that the door 27 will stand closed against the said beveled end.

The inclosing .casing 8 is provided with an opening 32 in radial alinement with the opening 2 of the fire box for permitting the removal of the ashes, and the said opening is normally closed by an ash pit door 33. The grate is composed of a series of radial shafts 34, each of which is provided with transverse sections 35 of grate bars, the said sections being arc-shaped and parallel, and gradually increasing in length from within outward.

Each of the shafts 34 is journaled at its outer end in the wall of the fire box and at its inner end in the cylindrical base 15 of the conical deflector. One of the shafts 34 is extended as indicated at 37 through a bearing 36 in the wall of the fire box, and through the opening 32 of the outer casing to the outside of the inclosing casing 8, and the outer end of the shaft is provided with a crank 3S for oscillating the said shaft, for a purpose to be described.

At its outer end each of the shafts 34 is provided with a gear wheel 39, and each of the gear wheels meshes with teeth on the under face of the ring 17, before mentioned. llhe said ring is in fact an annular rack bar, and it will be evident that when the shaft 34-37 is oscillated by means of the crank 38, all of the other shafts 34 will be likewise oscillated to shake down and stir the fire.

A pair of brackets 40 is secured to the outer casing 8, just above the door opening 32, each bracket having a bearing at its outer end, and the bearings are in horizontal alinement. A shaft 41 is journaled in the brackets and is provided with a sprocket wheel 42, near each end thereof, and inside of the bracket. The shaft is also provided with a crank 43 outside one of the brackets, and other pairs of brackets 44 and 45 are secured to the top 11 of the inclosing casing. The brackets 45 are vertical and are at the rear of the said top, while the brackets 44 are inclined and are at the front of the top.

A sprocket wheel 46 is journaled on a stub shaft 47 extending inwardly from each bracket 45, and a pair of sprocket wheels 49 and 50 is journaled on each of the brackets 44. The sprocket wheels of the adjacent brackets 40-44 and 45 are in alinement, and

an endless chain 48 is supported on the registering sprocket wheels, the outer and upper run of each chain passing over the sprocket wheel 49, while the inner and lower run ofl each chain passes over the sprocket wheel 50, and the said ysprocket wheels 49 and 50 are direction elements for the runs of the chain.

A coal scuttle or other container 51 is connected to av rod 53, which connects the upper or outer runs of the chains, by means of a bail 52, and the said scuttle is adapted to deliver coal into the feed chute 10.

A platform 54 is arranged at the brackets 40 and between the same, and just above the shaft 41, the said platform being held to the outer casing by means of angle bars 55, each bar having one of its angular portionssecured to the casing 8, and the other to the underface of the platform.

The scuttle is filled while resting on the platform, and the shaft 41 is then turned by means of the crank to cause the upper or outer runs of the chains to carry the scuttle into the position of Fig. 1, where when the door 12 is open, the contents of the sciittle may be dumped into the end of the feed chute.

The endless chains 48 are about fourteen inches apart, thus permitting the scuttle to move without interference from the chains to and from the platform.

In operation, when starting the fire in the furnace, the cheek lid or door 27 is upper closed, and the said door or lid will openA the damper 26 to permit the heavy smoke to pass oif. As soon as the fire is burning brightly, the check lid is opened to control the heat and the said lid operates the damper 26. As the coal is fed into the fire box, the conical deflector will distribute the same to all parts of the grate, and when the fire becomes choked with ashes or cinders, the crank 38 is rotated. During the starting of the fire, the products of combustion pass directly from the fire box, through the pipe 5 and the pipes 22 and 21 to the flue. After the fire is burning brightly however, the check lid is opened, thus closing the damper 26 and constraining the products of combustion to pass out through the pipe 7 and the spirally arranged pipe 20 and the pipe 21 to the flue. vIn this manner practically all of the heat is utilized for heating the house or other building in which the furnace is placed. The heated air is taken from the outer casing 8 in the usual manner. In starting Ythe fire, the fuel is introduced through the door 19 and the opening 6, and it will be noticed that there is a separate passage 56, leading from the door opening covered by the door 19 to the opening 6 of the fire box. After the fire has been started, it is fed through the feed chute 10. The air is permitted to enter the outer casing 8 in any suitable manner, and when it is desired to clean the spiral pipe 20, access may be had to the different coils through the doors 24 and the pipes 23.

Each of thearms 16 rest at itsouter end on a seat 57, cast on the fire box wall, and the said Vseat is provided 'at one end with an Lip-standing lug .58, for engagement by the endof the arm to limit the Alateral movement of the arm.y The movement of the arm is limited in the opposite direction. by means of a bolt and nut 59, the bolt being passed throughan opening in the seat and engaged by the lnut below the seat.

When the bolts 59 are removedthe arms' may be turned to disengage themfrom the seats to permit the removal of the grate.

It Will be noted that the ring 17 is held from upward movement by a shoulder 60 formed on the inner wall of the re'box.

The grate sections 35 may be substantially triangularl as shown in Fig. 5, or the saidv sections may have the form shown in Fig.7,

box, each shaft having a series of arc-v shaped transverse grate bars, one of the shafts being extended beyond the outer casing and having means for rotating the same, a toothed ring arranged within the firev box at the inner face thereof, the teeth being on the under edge of the ring, and a gear wheel on each shaft meshing with the ring.

2. In a hot air furnace, a fire box, and a grate arranged transversely of the fire box, a substantially conical deiiector at the cen ter of the grate, arms connected with the defiector and extending radially therefrom, the lire box having lugs upon which the outer ends of the arms rest, each lug having a fixed stop at one end to prevent movement of the arm in that direction, and a,

removable stop at the other end, shafts arranged radially of the re box and journaled in the deflector at their inner ends, one of the shafts having means for engage* ment by a tool to rotate the same, a toothed ring arranged above the shafts and engaging the inner surface of the fire box, and` a gear wheel on each shaft engaging the ring.

3. In -a hot air furnace, a iire box, and a grate arranged transversely of the fire box, a substantially conical deflector atthe center of the grate, arms connected with the deflector and extending radially therefrom, the fire box having lugs upon which the outer ends of the arms rest, each lug having a fixed stop at one end to prevent movement of the arm in that direction, and a removahle stop at the other end, shafts arranged radially of the re box and journaled in the for constraining the shaft to rotate in unideflector at their inner ends, one of the son and in the same direction.

shafts havinO means for engagement by a D tool to rctat the same, a toothed ring ar- DANEL l' KURTZ' ranged above the shafts and engaging the Witnesses:

inner surface of the fire box, a gear Wheel EMILY J. BRENNAN, on each shaft engaging the ring, and means EDWARD B. ZIGLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

